Quick take on the Rangers-Lightning game in the Czech Republic and the Penguins-Senators tilt in Sweden.

- The Blueshirts-Bolts matchup was kind of dull. That’s not likely to impress fans of either club but I honestly didn’t find it a very entertaining game.

Might’ve been the ice conditions, I’m not sure, but it just seemed to lack energy in long stretches, although the excitement level increased late in the game when the Rangers Brandon Dubinsky scored on a screen shot  to snap a one-all tie and ultimately proved to be the game winner.

The Czech fans seemed to sit on their hands throughout most of this, at least that's how it came across on television. That’s not to say they weren’t supportive but they certainly didn’t have the noise factor of the Swedish fans.

At least the Rangers didn’t scratch Czech winger Petr Prucha as rumored, perhaps over fear of a backlash?

Fellow Czech Michal Rozsival wasn’t much of a standout on the Rangers blueline except an early first period giveaway that resulted in a good scoring chance by the Lightning.

I can’t help but feel the fans would’ve been more into it had Czech stars Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka returned with the Rangers this season.

  Jagr is now playing for Avangard Omsk of the KHL after failing to reach a deal with the Rangers (and has 17 points in fourteen games thus far) while Straka was not signed as a UFA and is now playing in the Czech Extraliga.

Had Jagr been there I think the crowd would’ve been more involved.

Both teams headed into this game and this season with concerns over their respective defensive games and it was obvious after this match the Bolts have work to do in that regard, especially their discipline.

Still, despite being outshot 41-21 the Lightning did make a game of it, and a positive note was the performance of goalie Mike Smith, who looked sharp and couldn’t be blamed for his team’s loss

- The Pens-Sens game, won 4-3 by Pittsburgh in overtime,  was a more spirited affair as both clubs played with more energy, and the Swedish fans certainly got into it, cheering on the Senators and their team captain, Swedish star Daniel Alfredsson. 

Nice ovation given to Mats Sundin, the all-time leading scorer amongst Swedish NHL players, who dropped the puck in a ceremonial faceoff, prompting the Hockey Night in Canada commentators to wonder if this was the last time we’ll see Sundin on the ice this season.

Two significant points in this one: Martin Gerber’s goaltending could continue to be an area of concern for the Senators, and the Penguins sorely miss injured blueliners Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney.

Gerber allowed in two softies, both off the stick of Penguins forward Tyler Kennedy which opened and closed the game’s scoring, and at times seems rattled.

The absence of Gonchar and Whitney forced the Penguins  to press younger and lesser skilled blueliners into action  and their inexperience showed.

Still, one game does not an 82-game regular season make, so there’s plenty of time for all four teams to address their weaknesses.

With the start of the NHL's 2008-09 season slated for October 4th several NHL teams were busy trying to pare down their rosters.

The Chicago Blackhawks made the biggest news of the day, placing veteran goalie Nikolia Khabibulin on waivers in hopes a rival club might be willing to claim him rather than trade for him.

Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon would love to move Khabibulin's $6.75 million salary for this season but it's doubtful he'll find any takers for "The 'Bulin Wall" via waivers. He might have better luck demoting Khabibulin and then placing him on recall waivers, where an interested team could claim him and only be on the hook for half his salary, with the 'Hawks having to absorb the other half.

The Tampa Bay Lightning were busy as well, trading forward Nick Tarnasky to the Nashville Predators for a conditional pick in 2009 and placing forward Michel Ouellet on waivers.

Tarnasky, a checking line forward, played 80 games for the Lightning last season and had 6 goals and ten points.

Placing Ouellet on waivers however suggests the Bolts couldn't find any takers for him via the trade market and could also mean the club now intends to retain forward Jussi Jokinen, who was the subject of trade speculation this summer but impressed new head coach Barry Melrose with a strong training camp.

Ouellet is an energetic winger who last season had 17 goals and 36 points in 64 games with the Lightning, and with an affordable $1.25 million salary cap hit he might be an affordable option for rivla clubs.

The New York Islanders meanwhile added to their blueline depth, claiming Thomas Pock off waivers from the New York Rangers.

Pock was considered a promising defense prospect several seasons ago but struggled to stick with the Rangers over the past two years. He might get a better opportunity with the Islanders.

This August has been a much quieter time for real NHL news than in recent ones post-lockout, and for good reason: most NHL reporters were either on vacation or covering the recent Summer Olympics in Beijing, while most NHL general managers and their staff were vacationing or off on scouting missions.

Of course idle hands are the devil’s work and some folks (none of them accredited hockey reporters, by the way) have been busy filling hockey cyberspace with lots of unsubstantiated trade and free agent rumors.

So since there isn’t really very much real hockey news to comment on, here’s a look at some of the latest internet rumors going on:

- Washington Capitals forward Michael Nylander put his house up for sale and could be traded to Vancouver.

Nylander has put his house up for sale, which can be a legitimate tip-off of an imminent move, but according to the Washington Post that’s because he and his family are moving into a smaller one. Nylander has a movement clause and isn’t planning on waiving it, nor have the Capitals asked him to.

-The Montreal Canadiens are pursuing Chicago Blackhawks center Robert Lang.

Canadiens GM Bob Gainey admits he has a “plan B” in place should Mats Sundin opt to sign elsewhere, but it remains to be seen if that’s pursuing another center or sticking with his current roster. The Lang rumor was erroneously attributed to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, who’s been on vacation for much of this summer.

-The Canadiens are interested in Toronto’s Bryan McCabe to replace the offense lost when Mark Streit signed with the Islanders.

No, they’re not. Folks conveniently forget that the Canadiens still have Andrei Markov and Roman Hamrlik on the point, and they’re certainly not going to take on McCabe’s bloated $5.75 million per season salary.

-The Florida Panthers will trade Jay Bouwmeester before the start of the upcoming season.

No, they won’t. Bouwmeester is on a one-year contract and in all likelihood won’t be returning with the Panthers after this season but as long as GM Jacques Martin believes he has a chance to convince Bouwmeester to remain he won’t move the blueliner. If “Jay-Bo” is traded it’ll be in January at the earliest, most likely by the February trade deadline.

-The Minnesota Wild are shopping or will shop Marian Gaborik before the start of the season.

Same situation as Bouwmeester, although judging by recent reports out of Minnesota it appears there’s a willingness on both the Wild and the Gaborik camp to get a deal done.

-The NY Rangers will trade Scott Gomez to make room for Mats Sundin.

Sorry, folks, but I just don’t see that happening. It makes no sense to trade a 28-year-old playmaker entering the prime of his career and in the midst of a long-term contract for a 37-year-old center who, as great as he is, might only commit to one or two years of hockey.  If Rangers GM Glen Sather does this, he has no right being an NHL general manager.

-The Rangers will trade Gomez to Minnesota for Gaborik.

And on that day, the devil skates to work.

Another NHL player is heading to Russia but not as a free agent or as a player still under contract signed away by a KHL team like Alexander Radulov.

New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello announced veteran defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski cleared waivers over the weekend, but rather than being bought out or demoted to the minors to clear salary cap space, he’ll be signing with an as-yet-unknown team in Russia’s KHL.

This move will be similar to what the New York Rangers did with defenseman Darius Kasparaitis last November, when they “loaned” him to SKA St. Petersburg.

Vishnevski has two years remaining on his current contract with the Devils meaning they’ll retain his NHL rights over the period but he’ll be paid by a KHL team thus they won’t have to pay him his remaining salary for as long as he’s playing in Russia.

As the Globe & Mail’s James Mirtle observed, it’s yet another crafty move by “Loophole Lou”, as the Devils GM has freed up $1.8 million in cap space from this year’s payroll and possibly again next season.

For NHL general managers looking for a way to dump salary, the lack of a transfer agreement between the NHL and the KHL gives them a viable option.

The Hockey News recently published its annual NHL yearbook and as usual one of the notable features is its Top Fifty NHL Players listing for the upcoming season.

Although I’m now a free-lance contributor to THN.com that won’t prevent me from critiquing this list, and no, this isn’t a free plug for The Hockey News on my part as I reviewed their rankings last summer prior to contributing to their site.

Anyway, here’s how THN ranked their top fifty players for the upcoming season:

1.       Sidney Crosby
2. Alex Ovechkin
3. Henrik Zetterburg
4. Pavel Datsyuk
5. Vincent Lecavalier
6. Niklas Lidstrom
7. Roberto Luongo
8. Jarome Iginla
9. Evgeni Malkin
10. Dany Heatley
11. Chris Pronger
12. Daniel Alfredsson
13. Marian Gaborik
14. Henrik Lundqvist
15. Brendan Morrow
16. Evgeni Nabokov
17. Marian Hossa
18. Ilya Kovalchuk
19. Eric Staal
20. Zdeno Chara
21. Joe Thornton
22. Dion Phaneuf
23. Martin Brodeur
24. J-S Giguere
25. Martin St-Louis
26. Scott Niedermayer
27. Brian Rafalski
28. Sergei Gonchar
29. Marty Turco
30. Ryan Getzlaf
31. Andrei Markov
32. Zach Parise
33. Ales Hemsky
34. Jason Spezza
35. Vesa Toskola
36. Rick Nash
37. Joe Sakic
38. Scott Gomez
39. Ryan Miller
40. Jonathan Toews
41. Daniel Sedin
42. Daniel Briere
43. Anze Kopitar
44. Miika Kiprusoff
45. Paul Statsny
46. Shane Doan
47. Derek Roy
48. Mark Savard
49. Mike Richards
50. Patrick Kane

If we’re going by last season’s performance I’d rank Ovechkin over Crosby but they’re definitely 1-2 in my estimation and the case can be made for either to be ranked as the league’s top player.

Lidstrom should’ve been ranked higher, perhaps 3rd or 4th, but he’s definitely the league’s best defenseman.  

As for Luongo, he’s a great goaltender and perhaps will justify that higher ranking this season but I’d swap Brodeur for Luongo if we’re basing this on last season’s performance. I know Brodeur’s getting older and he’s fast approaching his best before date but until he does in my opinion he’s still the league’s best goaltender.  Nabokov, Luongo and Lundqvist are nipping at his heels though.

I would also rank Malkin higher than Iglinla and Lecavalier, ranking him no lower than 6th.

Pronger’s ranking will likely draw some criticism given his penchant for dirty play but he’s still among the game’s elite defensemen and every team (yes, even the Oilers) would love to have him on their roster.

Morrow deserves to be on this list but I wouldn’t rank him above Kovalchuk, Staal, Thornton, Brodeur and Nash and consider him ranked far too high.

Speaking of Kovalchuk, it’s good to see him finally getting his due from THN as his ranking last season (48th) was in my opinion an insult.

And why is Thornton, who was again among the league’s leading scorers, not in the top ten? Or even the top 15? Sorry, but this is far too low for a player of his caliber. Sure, the case can be made that he struggles in the playoffs, but there’s no denying his obvious talent and skills. I certainly wouldn’t rate Alfredsson, Heatley, Kovalchuk, Morrow, Gaborik, Hossa, Staal and Chara above Thornton.

Lundqvist is a terrific goalie but I don’t believe he ranks higher than Nabokov. If it were up to me, I’d rank Brodeur, Nabokov and Luongo over Lundqvist.

I also disagree with Phaneuf dropping in the rankings compared to last season and I’d give him a slight edge over Chara in ranking defensemen.

Niedermayer missed most of the first half of last season before deciding to return to action and that cost him in the rankings. Had he played a full season his ranking likely would’ve been higher.

And Toskala ranked higher than Nash, Sakic, Gomez, Toews, Kopitar, Richards and Kane?  Gimme a break!  In fact, why is Toskala even on this list? Mats Sundin or Tomas Kaberle would’ve been better choices if one is seeking decent Leafs (or former Leafs) to be on this list.

I would also rank Richards higher than where he placed (probably about ten spots higher), but there’s no question he deserves to be on this list and his stock will continue to rise.

As for the rest of this listing, I really don't have much of a quibble over where most were ranked. Some could probably be moved up or down a spot or two but for the most part I have no real argument over the rest of these rankings.

That’s my two cents, folks.  Let me hear yours in the comments, and remember, this is THN’s listing, not mine, so don’t complain to me about where they placed these players as I had no input in this.

The Score Sports Forecaster was first out of the blocks with their NHL Season Preview for 2008-09, and the good folks at Andrew's Dallas Stars Page has a quick review of the magazine's preview of the Stars, but also the projected playoff teams and where they'll finish the season:

Western Conference
1. Detroit Red Wings 2. Dallas Stars 3. Edmonton Oilers 4. San Jose Sharks 5. Chicago Blackhawks 6. Anaheim Ducks 7. Calgary Flames 8. Phoenix Coyotes

Eastern Conference
1. Philadelphia Flyers 2. Washington Capitals 3. Ottawa Senators 4. Montreal Canadiens 5. Pittsburgh Penguins 6. Carolina Hurricanes 7. New Jersey Devils 8. New York Rangers

---

I'll have my projections by late September as we get closer to the season and we have a better idea of what the rosters will look like.

As for the Forecaster, you'll have to buy the issue (I don't get any kickbacks for this) to find out why they're ranking the teams as they have.

And since I'm going on vacation for a few days starting August 14th, this is as good a topic as any for you folks to discuss in the comments, and please, keep it clean!

I don’t usually engage in this much but since there’s been a dire dearth of any real hockey news to comment on I suppose it’s as good a time as any to shoot down some of the wacky trade and free agent rumors flying around.

First off, the Florida Panthers are not shopping defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. Sure, the fact that he signed a one-year contract taking him up to UFA status next summer likely means this is his final season with the Panthers, but as long as GM Jacques Martin believes there’s a chance to re-sign Bouwmeester he won’t be dealt, at least not at this time of the year.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Bryan McCabe may apparently be willing to consider waiving his movement clause to accept a trade but that doesn’t mean he’ll be dealt soon.

According to recent reports out of Toronto the Leafs are believed waiting for a list from McCabe of teams he’d waive his clause to be dealt to, and the odds are that list will likely be a short one containing Cup contenders or perennial playoff teams.

And no, I don’t see him accepting a trade to the NY Islanders, because quite frankly I don’t think the Islanders, who now appear committed to rebuilding with youth, would be interested in his fat contract.

The Minnesota Wild are not shopping Marian Gaborik. That rumor is pure BS. They’re hoping to re-sign him and have no “contingency plans” to trade him now. As of this writing GM Doug Risebrough will be meeting with Gaborik in Slovakia this week to open contract talks.

Maybe later on in the season if Gaborik decides that he wants to test next summer’s UFA market Risebrough will shop him. Not now.

 Oh, and while I think of it, Bouwmeester isn’t being shopped for McCabe or Gaborik.

How do I know this? Because most NHL general managers are either on vacation, just back from vacation or soon to be heading out on vacation. Most teams have committed their cap space and have their rosters pretty much set. Heck, even a good number of player agents are taking this time to get in a little R&R.

That’s why there’s been almost nothing to report in terms of real hockey news. It’s the same thing every year.

Since the 2005-06 season ended, few significant trades have occured between the months of August and December, none of those involving players of the caliber of Gaborik, Bouwmeester and McCabe.

The reason for that is, quite simply, limited cap space, significantly limiting the market for players of that caliber during that time period.

Teams that will be busy in the coming weeks are those currently over the salary cap, like Philadelphia, Anaheim, Calgary and Chicago, who’ll have to dump some salary via trade or demotions to get under the cap by the start of the season.

The Nashville Predators could be forced to make a move or two via trade or free agency if Alexander Radulov remains in Russia for next season, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are heavy on forwards but light on defensive depth which suggests they might have a move or two remaining before next season begins.

That’s where your focus should be, rumormongers, not on dreaming up fantasy trades. 

The good news for the Florida Panthers is they avoided arbitration with defenseman Jay Bouwmeester by re-signing him to a new contract on Monday.

The bad news is that it’s only a one-year contract (believed worth $4.85 million), which will ensure his name remains in the rumor mill from now until the February 2009 NHL trade deadline.

Bouwmeester is eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer, where he’ll command top dollar as well as have his choice of destinations.

Panthers management insists it won’t be shopping Bouwmeester but if they fail to re-sign him to a long term deal but already speculation abounds through the internet (though not yet in the media) that he’ll be dealt by summer’s end to the Philadelphia Flyers.

It remains to be seen if the Flyers do “push hard” to land Bouwmeester but there’s little doubt he’d attract considerable attention if the Panthers do eventually decide to shop him, which would likely be by late-January at the earliest if he decides to hit the open market next summer.

In the meantime the assumption out of Miami is the Panthers will try to re-sign him while Bouwmeester will apparently base his future plans on how well the club performs next season.

That’s the big question amongst hockey fans, pundits and bloggers heading into the dog days of summer.

With former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin the only big fish remaining in a rapidly drying up UFA pond, the question of “What Will Sundin Do?” is starting to dominate the off-season NHL news just as the uncertainty over the future plans of fellow Swedish star Peter Forsberg did last summer.

Unlike Forsberg, dogged by uncertainty over the status of his surgically repaired right foot (which continues to hamper him to this day and could result in his retirement), Sundin proved last season that at 37 he’s still physically and mentally capable to be among the top forwards in the NHL.

Little wonder then that at one point five teams – the Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings – were considered the leading bidders for his services when this summer’s unrestricted free agent market opened on July 1st.

Sundin still has the ability to make a bad team good, a good team very good and a very good team a Cup contender.

He’s also someone who, at this point in his long career, isn’t going to be rushed or pushed into making a decision about his future.

Some critics have unjustly taken Sundin to task, stupidly suggesting that he’s “stringing those teams along”, that he should make a decision quickly and in the meantime apologize to the clubs bidding for his services for his foot-dragging.

Last time I checked, Sundin is what’s called an “unrestricted free agent”, meaning he doesn’t owe any team an explanation, an apology or any damn thing. He owes it to himself to make the right decision for his future and if he wants to take the entire summer to think about his future plans that’s his right as an unrestricted free agent, a right he's more than earned.

If teams like the Red Wings and Rangers decide they don’t want to wait for Sundin and opt instead to spend their available cap space on other players, that’s their business, not his.

Sure, it narrows the number of potential destinations for Sundin, but he’s been around long enough to know what the consequences could be for his actions. If he were that concerned about it, he would’ve signed with a team by now.

Quite frankly, as more than one scribe has suggested, we don’t even know if Sundin wants to play next season or not. He could decide after seventeen seasons that he just doesn’t want to put himself through the punishment anymore.

Retirement is a possibility, but the consensus of observers suggests he could be back for at least one or two more seasons.

Right now only three teams – the Vancouver Canucks, Montreal Canadiens and the Maple Leafs – appear to be in the running for his services.

The Canucks are in a bit of a rebuilding mode with a new general manager in Mike Gillis and a need to bolster their offensive production as that was a significant contributing factor (along with injuries to their blueline corps and personal distractions for goalie Roberto Luongo) to their missing the playoffs last season.

With a focused Luongo and a healthier blueline the Canucks should make the playoffs but if they’re to be more than a marginal playoff team they need a scoring star like Sundin.  

What makes them attractive is they’ve placed the biggest bid on the table (two years, $20 million), fellow countrymen Mattias Ohlund and the Sedin Twins would be his teammates and the 2010 Winter Olympics are being held there, where Sundin could be captaining the defending Olympic champion Swedish team.

Of these three teams the Canadiens could be Sundin’s best opportunity to play for a Stanley Cup contender.

 The Habs made significant improvement last season, finishing first overall in the Eastern Conference for the first time in 19 years. They’re deep in rising young talent, and Sundin’s potential linemates would be experienced offensive forwards Alex Kovalev and Alex Tanguay.

But the Canadiens probably won’t offer more than $8 million per season at best, and it’s also possible Sundin might not be comfortable suiting up for the Habs after spending his entire NHL career playing for two of their arch-rivals in Quebec City and Toronto.

Then there's the Maple Leafs, who also couldn’t out-bid the Canucks and don’t have the enticement of Cup contention like the Canadiens but do have familiarity on their side, given that Sundin played most of his NHL career as a Leaf.

Leafs management have said they’d bring him back, even with a movement clause, but it’s also possible there could be some bruised feelings after the club tried to pressure him to waive his movement clause last February.

So what will Sundin do?

Your guess is as good as mine, but don’t be surprised if we’re still asking that question by the end of August.  

The fallout from Nashville Predators forward Alexander Radulov’s decision to sign a three-year, $13 million contract with Ufa Salavat of Russia’s new Kontinental Hockey League has sparked a growing debate amongst bloggers (including myself) over the seriousness of the threat the KHL poses to the NHL.

Some like me aren’t taking the KHL too seriously but others are suggesting this could represent a potentially serious talent drain for the NHL, particularly of Russian talent, which has been on the decline in recent years in the NHL.

I’ve written previously about this and engaged in a discussion with the Globe and Mail’s James Mirtle on his blog on this topic but allow me to further clarify my position.

If this "no-poaching" agreement brokered by the IIHF between the NHL and KHL stays in effect (which appears doubtful right now) then no one in the NHL will be following Radulov's lead, unless it's as free agents where they can sign wherever they please.

For NHLPA members as well as North American minor leaguers the KHL works to their benefit, giving them another option to earn big league dollars as well as a strong leverage tool in contract talks with their respective NHL teams.

Thus far Radulov is the only truly significant Russian player to sign with a KHL team. As James Mirtle recently noted, Radulov’s accomplishments at only 21 years of age are noteworthy, suggesting he’s a burgeoning superstar.

Compare him however to what Russian NHL stars like Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Ilya Kovalchuk accomplished at 21. Losing one of those players would be a serious blow for the NHL. Losing a dozen players of Radulov’s caliber per year would represent a significant talent drain. Losing only one player like Radulov per year is not.

Considering the bigger fish the KHL tried and failed to land this summer (Malkin being the biggest), if the main concern for the NHL is losing the occasional promising player to the KHL then it is a minor irritant.

Even if Radulov’s contract with Ufa is allowed to stand it doesn’t mean he’s gone forever, as he suggested in a recent interview he could return to the NHL, citing the example of countryman Alexander Semin of the Washington Capitals.

It’s not however a minor irritant to the Nashville Predators, as replacing his offensive production won’t be easy for this goal-starved team, and the timing – coming in mid-July – couldn’t be worse, taking away the opportunity for the Preds to attempt to sign a suitable replacement via the UFA market.

Radulov recently claimed he tried to forewarn the Predators management of offers from the KHL in hopes of signing a contract extension.

If so, GM David Poile either thought Radulov was bluffing, or most likely believed the  “anti-poaching” verbal agreement between the NHL and KHL would prevent a KHL team from signing Radulov.

Prior to the NHL's transfer agreement dispute with Russia the number of Russian prospects selected by NHL teams was already declining.

Granted, the lack of a transfer agreement, the inability under the current CBA for NHL teams to hold the rights of drafted European players indefinitely and the uncertainty of those players being allowed to join the NHL teams that drafted them were significant factors but so too has been the decline in player development in Russia.

Their hockey program has been in serious decline since the early 1990s. Stars like Ovechkin and Malkin were exceptions to the rule, as Russian hockey in recent years generally produced one-dimensional forwards, few top-caliber defensemen and weak goaltending.

That was clearly highlighted last summer when Canada's juniors humiliated Russia's best juniors  going unbeaten in an 8 game series "Super Series" that was anything but for the Russians.

Yes, Russia did win the World Championships this year against an NHL stocked Canadian team in a thrilling gold-medal overtime game, but it was the first time in 13 years they’d won that championship, a considerable drought for a country once considered the world’s preeminent hockey power.

The KHL maintains it wants to prevent NHL teams from poaching their best young talent, that it wants that talent to develop their game in their home country, and perhaps this will give Russian hockey the best opportunity to achieve this. Still, it seems odd that they're resorting more to spending their dollars on predominantly marginal NHL talent, most of whom aren't even Russian.

What if those big bucks aren’t enough to sway talented young Russians from playing in the NHL?

In recent years some Russian teams resorted to pressuring players and their families into signing contracts (Evgeni Malkin), took away their passports to prevent them leaving Russia voluntarily (Malkin again), suggesting players needed to complete "mandatory military service" (Nikolai Zherdev and Alexander Semin), or in the case of Columbus prospect Nikita Filatov claiming only the indemnity portion of his contract with CSKA Moscow has expired but the rest of the contract was still valid.

It remains to be seen if big money contracts will bring an end to those questionable tactics.

Tossing big money at young Russian players could also backfire on the KHL, as those youngsters could accept those expensive KHL contracts ( knowing the NHL has a strict entry level cap), bank their KHL millions and then say Dosvidaniya once their KHL contract is up to head to the NHL’s bigger stage.

Don’t overlook the pull that Russian NHL stars like Ovechkin, Malkin and Kovalchuk have on young Russian hockey players, who dream of following in their footsteps and garnering full international fame.

In my discussion with James Mirtle  one of his readers suggested the real issue here isn’t the KHL taking away top line talent from the NHL but rather signing away marginal talent which could deplete the on-ice talent pool resulting in a poor quality product for the NHL.

Somehow I doubt the NHL will suffer because the Chris Simons, Kyle Wanvigs, and Niko Kapanens of the hockey world head overseas.The North American and European talents pools are sufficiently deep to cover off those losses.

Besides, Europe has been a favorable destination for career minor leaguers and marginal NHLers for quite some time, long before the KHL came into being. Usually those players signed with German, Swiss and Swedish teams, partially for language reasons but also because they generally paid well. Few, particularly North American players, made Russia a destination of choice.

We’re hearing more about marginal talent signing with the KHL  this year because  that league (essentially a super-sized version of the old Russian Super League) just came into existence and they’re offering more money than other European teams. If anything, the KHL could be more of a threat to the talent pools in other European leagues than to the NHL’s.

Just because players sign with the KHL doesn’t mean they’re never coming back. In previous years many tended to sign one or two year contracts, often with “out clauses” should an NHL team come calling, and it wasn't  unusual for those players to return to the NHL.

Even if  new KHL contracts  lack  those  "out clauses"  those players could still return to the NHL once their contracts have expired.

The NHL isn’t blameless for the current standoff with the KHL. It bears the brunt of the blame for not fairly compensating European teams under their previous transfer agreement. KHL team owners have every right to be angry but their oil money alone will be enough to win a war of attrition with the NHL.

It cannot compete with the NHL in terms of venues, advertising, ticket sales, concessions, broadcasting and other revenue streams. Thus far it appears the only thing backing those big contracts is the ownerships' oil money.

Most might be willing to write off their teams losses for a while but that won’t go on forever. At some point the KHL will have to stand on its own instead of requiring its wealthiest teams to bail it out. This league has a long way to go to prove itself a viable, competitive alternative to the NHL instead of a plaything for Russian oil barons.

At some point, the NHL and KHL will have reach detente and work on a mutually beneficial agreement. Nothing can really be gained for either side, regardless of the perceived threat of one or the apparent advantage of the other, in allow the current situation to fester and deteriorate.

It was believed this “anti-poaching” deal was a start but the Radulov situation could kill that agreement and put NHL-KHL negotiations further into the deep freeze.

This new Cold War of the hockey world doesn’t show any signs of thawing soon.

Nearly two weeks into the NHL’s UFA pool and the depth is getting shallower.

The biggest free agent signing of note over the past several days was that of former Chicago Blackhawks forward Jason Williams, who after several days of speculation out of Ottawa had him signing with the Senators (“Done Deal” according to some internet sites) would up inking a one-year, $2.2 million contract with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Williams, 27, is coming off an injury-shortened season which saw him net 13 goals and 36 points in 43 games (four of those goals game-winners), leading the Blackhawks in power-play ice time until a sports hernia sidelined him for 35 games.

This is a good signing for a Thrashers team thin on offense heading into next season. He can play center or right wing and it’s possible he might be placed on the same line as star left wing Ilya Kovalchuk, especially on the powerplay.

In a move suggesting a trade is in the offing the Anaheim Ducks signed former Florida Panthers defenseman Steve Montador to a one-year, $800K contract.

Montador, 28, had a career year with the Panthers last season, with 23 points in 73 games and plus-minus of +1.

The Ducks are expected to dump some salary to free up valuable cap space before the start of next season with Mathieu Schneider and his $5.75 million contract for next season considered the likely candidate and Montador filling his spot on the Ducks blueline.

Tampa Bay Lightning ownership continue to load up at forward, re-signing veteran center Chris Gratton to  a one-year contract.

With seventeen forwards currently on the roster (including 2008 first overall pick Steve Stamkos) it believed the Bolts will soon shop one or two forwards for some much needed veteran depth on their blueline.

Frequently suggested trade candidates include Jussi Jokinen and Michel Ouellet.

The Toronto Maple Leafs addressed a need for more toughness, acquiring checker Ryan Hollweg from the NY Rangers for a fifth rounder in 2009.

Hollweg’s aggressive style should make him a good fit on the Leafs fourth line.

-The Ottawa Senators resolved their need for experienced blueline depth by signing former Philadelphia Flyer Jason Smith to a two-year contract. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

It was rumored Senators GM Bryan Murray was in the market for a trade with Anaheim for Mathieu Schneider or San Jose for Kyle McLaren. Smith’s signing negates the need for the latter and appear to indicate they’ll re-sign Andrej Meszaros which would remove the need for Schneider

Smith was believed in talks with the Buffalo Sabres but evidently he liked what the Sens had to offer. His gritty performance in this spring’s playoffs, particularly against Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, raise his stock on the UFA market, and heading into this week was the best available blueliner left on the market.

-Reports claim Pavol Demitra is either close to signing or has signed a multi-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks.

That could raise complaints of tampering from some Minnesota Wild fans given Demitra’s spring sojourn to Vancouver as the guest of former Canucks captain Markus Naslund as well as the fact Mike Gillis, the Canucks new general manager, is Demitra’s former agent.

The league already looked into that matter and found no evidence of tampering. Gillis’ previous relationship with Demitra obviously has some influence but the bottom line is the Canucks desperately need offensive depth and are willing to consider taking on an aging, injury-prone forward.

-Speaking of the Canucks, they now have seven days to decide if they’ll keep forward Steve Bernier.

The St. Louis Blues signed Bernier, who was acquired from the Sabres last week by the Canucks, to a one-year contract offer sheet worth $2.5 million.

Consider that a bit of revenge on the part of Blues president John Davidson for Gillis’ attempt last week to sign forward David Backes to a three-year, $7.5 million contract offer sheet, which the Blues matched almost immediately.

Gillis will likely match this offer but like the Blues with Backes will end up paying him more than desired.

**UPDATE** As expected the Canucks management announced they would match the Blues offer sheet for Bernier.

-Defenseman Paul Mara is returning to the NY Rangers, signing a one-year, $1.95 million contract, a significant cut in pay from the $3 million he made last season with the Blueshirts.

Given that fact it’s a good bet he wasn’t attracting much interest or offers of note from rival clubs on the UFA market.

From the NHLPA:

TORONTO (July 5, 2008) – The following players have elected Salary Arbitration:

Boston Bruins
Dennis Wideman

Carolina Hurricanes
Chad LaRose

Colorado Avalanche
Marek Svatos
Detroit Red Wings
Valtteri Filppula

Florida Panthers
Jay Bouwmeester

Minnesota Wild
Pierre-Marc Bouchard
Stephane Veilleux

Nashville Predators
Ville Koistinen

New York Islanders
Sean Bergenheim

New York Rangers
Dan Fritsche

Ottawa Senators
Antoine Vermette

St. Louis Blues
Jay McClement

San Jose Sharks
Marcel Goc

Washington Capitals
Brooks Laich
Shaone Morrisonn

The deadline for Club-Elected Salary Arbitration notification is July 6, 2008 at 5 p.m. ET. Hearings will be held in Toronto from July 20 to August 4, 2008."

More significant is the fact that these players are now ineligible to receive offer sheets from rival teams.

One of the greatest careers in NHL history has come to an end.

Jaromir Jagr, former captain of the New York Rangers, has announced he’s decided to accept a two-year contract from Avangard Omsk of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.

He’d hoped to re-sign with the Rangers but apparently no real contract talks took place between himself and Rangers management.

Jagr has at times been a considered a moody, petulant self-centered prima donna by his critics, but there is no denying he ranks among the greatest forwards in NHL history.

He won the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 1999, the Art Ross as the leading point scorer five times, won the Pearson award three times, was a seven time first team all star, played on two Stanley Cup championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins and won an Olympic gold medal as part of the 1998 Czech Republic Men’s hockey team.

Jagr also holds 12 NHL records, including most assists by a rookie in the Stanley Cup finals (5), most regular season assists (87) and points (149) by a right wing, and 8 Rangers team records, all set in 2005-06, including most regular season goals (54), points (123), power play goals (24), shots (368) and tied with Mark Messier and Don Murdoch for most game winning goals with 9.

He finishes his NHL career with 646 goals, 953 assists and 1599 points in the regular season, and 77 goal and 181 points in 169 playoff games.

His was a Hall of Fame career and he should be a first ballot selection.

Some might feel cheated that Jagr will finish his playing career in Russia rather than the NHL, but NHL fans got to see him at his very best for most of his 17 NHL seasons, and that’s what he should be remembered for.  

New York Rangers GM Glen Sather continues to add veteran depth to his roster via this summer’s UFA market, adding forward Markus Naslund and defenseman Dmitri Kalinin.

Details are still pending on the Kalinin signing but Naslund has been signed to a one-year, $4.5 two-year, $8 million contract.

Naslund’s been considered a fading force in his final years with the Vancouver Canucks but it’s possible he could bounce back if he weren’t facing pressure to carry the offensive load.

This move might also be seen as possible enticement for Mats Sundin to sign with the Rangers although these signings likely means less room for the kind of money he’s been attracting in the UFA market.

Kalinin struggled at times in his final two seasons in Buffalo occasionally earning a place in head coach Lindy Ruff’s doghouse. It was rumored earlier this spring he might sign with a Russian team .

If Kalinin can rebound with a fresh start in New York he could be a solid addition to the Rangers blueline, but if not he could replace the departed Marek Malik as the favorite target of the MSG boo-birds.

**UPDATE** GM Glen Sather stated during a media conference call announcing this trade that Jaromir Jagr won't be back with the Rangers.

Kalinin's contract is a one-year deal, financial terms are still unavailable.